Hip bone (lateral view) (English)

The superior part of this lateral view of the hip bone shows the external or gluteal surface of the ilium. It is marked by three elevations (the anterior, posterior and inferior gluteal lines) which mark the boundaries between attachment sites for the gluteal muscles. The most superior aspect of the ilium forms a well defined rim called the iliac crest, which extends between the anterior and posterior superior iliac spines (ASIS/PSIS). The anterior superior iliac spine provides the lateral attachment for the inguinal ligament. Just inferior to these spines we can find their inferior counterparts, the anterior and posterior inferior iliac spines. The lateral view also presents a cup-shaped cavity known as the acetabulum, in which the hip bone articulates with the femur at the hip joint. Four main elements of the acetabulum can be identified: the margin, fossa, lunate surface and acetabular notch. Also seen is a large bony aperture known as the obturator foramen; this is closed by the obturator membrane, except for a small opening (canal) giving passage to the obturator artery, veins and nerve from the pelvis into the medial compartment of the thigh.